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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1303 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 923 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Brendan P. Crighton |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act relative to college in high school. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Brendan P. CrightonThird EssexManny Cruz7th Essex2/28/2025 1 of 11 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1303 FILED ON: 1/16/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 923 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Mr. Crighton, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 923) of Brendan P. Crighton and |
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| 19 | 19 | | Manny Cruz for legislation relative to college credits while attending high school. Higher |
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| 20 | 20 | | Education. |
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| 21 | 21 | | [SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION |
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| 22 | 22 | | SEE SENATE, NO. 818 OF 2023-2024.] |
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| 23 | 23 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 27 | 27 | | _______________ |
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| 28 | 28 | | An Act relative to college in high school. |
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| 29 | 29 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 30 | 30 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 31 | 31 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 9B of chapter 15A, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2amended by adding the following after the word “commonwealth” in line 6: “or any college in |
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| 33 | 33 | | 3high school program administered pursuant to section 37 of chapter 69.” |
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| 34 | 34 | | 4 SECTION 2. Section 16 of chapter 15A is amended by adding the following after the |
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| 35 | 35 | | 5word “nursing” in line 5: “or any college in high school program administered pursuant to |
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| 36 | 36 | | 6section 37 of chapter 69,” |
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| 37 | 37 | | 7 SECTION 3. Chapter 15A of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after |
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| 38 | 38 | | 8section 39 the following section:- 2 of 11 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 9 Section 39A. (a) All public institutions of higher education shall develop written policies |
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| 40 | 40 | | 10and procedures for accepting for the purposes of course credit to satisfy degree requirements |
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| 41 | 41 | | 11certain scores on the College Board’s advanced placement examinations, successful completion |
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| 42 | 42 | | 12of college in high school courses as provided in section 37 of chapter 69, successful completion |
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| 43 | 43 | | 13of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, or and successful completion of dual |
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| 44 | 44 | | 14enrollment courses. In the said policy, the institution shall: |
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| 45 | 45 | | 15 (1) establish its conditions for granting course credit, including the minimum required |
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| 46 | 46 | | 16scores on Advanced Placement examinations and examinations for courses constituting the |
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| 47 | 47 | | 17International Baccalaureate Diploma Program; and |
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| 48 | 48 | | 18 (2) establish whether credit will be granted for general education, major or elective |
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| 49 | 49 | | 19requirements at the institution; and |
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| 50 | 50 | | 20 (3) include procedures related to the transferability of these credits to another institution |
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| 51 | 51 | | 21of higher education. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 22 (b) On request of an applicant for admission as an entering student, a public institution of |
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| 53 | 53 | | 23higher education, based on information provided by the applicant, shall determine and notify the |
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| 54 | 54 | | 24applicant regarding: |
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| 55 | 55 | | 25 (1) the amount and type of any course credit that would be granted to the applicant under |
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| 56 | 56 | | 26the policy required in subsection (a); and |
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| 57 | 57 | | 27 (2) any other academic requirement that the applicant would satisfy under the policy. |
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| 58 | 58 | | 28 (c) All policies and procedures governing the award of credit shall be posted on the |
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| 59 | 59 | | 29institution’s website under the category of admission, which the institution shall update as 3 of 11 |
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| 60 | 60 | | 30necessary to reflect any changes in policies and procedures. In addition, each institution shall |
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| 61 | 61 | | 31submit its policies and procedures, or any changes thereto, to the department of higher education |
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| 62 | 62 | | 32which shall post each institution’s policies and procedures on the department’s website. |
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| 63 | 63 | | 33 (d) The board of higher education, in cooperation with the board of trustees of each |
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| 64 | 64 | | 34public institution including the University of Massachusetts, shall annually review the college in |
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| 65 | 65 | | 35high school course-granting policies of each public institution of higher education in accordance |
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| 66 | 66 | | 36with the requirements of this section and file a report with its findings and any recommendations |
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| 67 | 67 | | 37with the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and chairs of the joint committee on |
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| 68 | 68 | | 38higher education not later than July 1. Each public institution of higher education shall provide |
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| 69 | 69 | | 39the board of higher education with all necessary data, in accordance with the federal Family |
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| 70 | 70 | | 40Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, to conduct the analysis. |
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| 71 | 71 | | 41 SECTION 4. Chapter 29 of the General Law is hereby amended by inserting after section |
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| 72 | 72 | | 422CCCCC the following new section:- |
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| 73 | 73 | | 43 Section 2DDDDD. (a) There shall be established and set up on the books of the |
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| 74 | 74 | | 44commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Massachusetts College in High School Trust |
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| 75 | 75 | | 45Fund. The fund shall be administered by the commissioner of the department of elementary and |
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| 76 | 76 | | 46secondary education, in consultation with the commissioner of the department of higher |
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| 77 | 77 | | 47education. The fund shall be credited with: (i) revenue from appropriations or other money |
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| 78 | 78 | | 48authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to the fund; (ii) interest |
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| 79 | 79 | | 49earned on such revenues; and (iii) funds from public and private sources such as gifts, grants, and |
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| 80 | 80 | | 50donations to further the rates of student preparedness for workforce and postgraduate success. 4 of 11 |
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| 81 | 81 | | 51Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject to further appropriation and any money |
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| 82 | 82 | | 52remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert to the General Fund. |
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| 83 | 83 | | 53 (b) Amounts credited to the fund may focus on underserved communities across the |
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| 84 | 84 | | 54Commonwealth, including those school districts with high concentrations of economically |
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| 85 | 85 | | 55disadvantaged students. |
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| 86 | 86 | | 56 (c) Amounts received from private sources shall be approved by the commissioner of |
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| 87 | 87 | | 57elementary and secondary education and subject to review before being deposited in the fund to |
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| 88 | 88 | | 58ensure that pledged funds are not accompanied by conditions, explicit or implicit, on the |
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| 89 | 89 | | 59implementation of college in high school programming that may be detrimental to the neutral |
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| 90 | 90 | | 60education policy. The review shall be made publicly available. |
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| 91 | 91 | | 61 (d) Annually, not later than October 1, the commissioner shall report to the clerks of the |
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| 92 | 92 | | 62house of representatives and senate, the joint committee on education, the joint committee on |
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| 93 | 93 | | 63higher education, and the house and senate committees on ways and means on the fund's activity. |
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| 94 | 94 | | 64The report shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the source and amount of funds received; (ii) |
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| 95 | 95 | | 65the amounts distributed and the purpose of expenditures from the fund, including but not limited |
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| 96 | 96 | | 66to, funds expended to assist school districts in meeting the requirements in section 37 of chapter |
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| 97 | 97 | | 6769; (iii) any grants provided to institutions of higher education and other stakeholder |
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| 98 | 98 | | 68organizations; and (iv) anticipated revenue and expenditure projections for the next year. |
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| 99 | 99 | | 69 SECTION 5. Chapter 69 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after |
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| 100 | 100 | | 70section 36 the following two sections:- |
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| 101 | 101 | | 71 Section 37. (a) There shall be a Massachusetts Office of College in High School, herein |
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| 102 | 102 | | 72the office. The office shall be overseen by the commissioner of the department of elementary and 5 of 11 |
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| 103 | 103 | | 73secondary education in consultation with the commissioner of the department of higher |
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| 104 | 104 | | 74education. The office will administer high school programs that expand student access to college |
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| 105 | 105 | | 75and postsecondary opportunities through high-quality instructional programming, hereinafter |
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| 106 | 106 | | 76referred to as college in high school, in order to increase the rates of student success in |
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| 107 | 107 | | 77postsecondary attainment and in the workforce. All programs established under this section shall: |
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| 108 | 108 | | 78 (1) Offer a coherent sequence of courses that allows a student to earn a high school |
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| 109 | 109 | | 79diploma and achieve at least one of the following: |
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| 110 | 110 | | 80 (i) the accumulation of transferable college credits; provided that, academic courses that |
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| 111 | 111 | | 81count for college credit shall be those agreed to by the institutions of higher education |
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| 112 | 112 | | 82participating in the partnership with the high school, |
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| 113 | 113 | | 83 (ii) an industry-recognized credential or certificate, including those determined to be |
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| 114 | 114 | | 84necessary for occupations with high employment value as defined in section 38 of this chapter; |
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| 115 | 115 | | 85or |
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| 116 | 116 | | 86 (iii) participation in a registered apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, or apprentice |
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| 117 | 117 | | 87readiness program; |
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| 118 | 118 | | 88 (2) Prepare students adequately for future success in the workforce or in an institution of |
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| 119 | 119 | | 89higher education; |
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| 120 | 120 | | 90 (3) Encourage the cooperative or shared use of resources, personnel and facilities |
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| 121 | 121 | | 91between public high schools, public and independent colleges or universities and employers; 6 of 11 |
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| 122 | 122 | | 92 (4) Emphasize parental involvement and provide consistent counseling, advising and |
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| 123 | 123 | | 93parent conferencing so that parents and students can make responsible decisions regarding course |
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| 124 | 124 | | 94selection and can track the student's academic progress and success; |
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| 125 | 125 | | 95 (5) Develop methods for early identification of potential participating students in the |
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| 126 | 126 | | 96middle grades and through high school and provide outreach to those students to promote |
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| 127 | 127 | | 97academic preparation and awareness of college in high school programs; and |
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| 128 | 128 | | 98 (6) Develop strategies to identify and engage underserved populations including by |
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| 129 | 129 | | 99income, race, ethnicity, sex, English language learner status and students with disabilities. |
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| 130 | 130 | | 100 (b) The office shall oversee all necessary college in high school programs, including but |
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| 131 | 131 | | 101not limited to programs that incorporate one or more of the following: (1) early college; (2) dual |
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| 132 | 132 | | 102enrollment; (3) industry-recognized credentialing in high school, including those for credentials |
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| 133 | 133 | | 103determined to be necessary for occupations with high employment value as defined in section 38 |
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| 134 | 134 | | 104of this chapter; (4) advanced placement; (5) international baccalaureate programs; or (6) other |
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| 135 | 135 | | 105approaches for college and career programs. The office shall develop and, as needed, refine all |
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| 136 | 136 | | 106college in high school program designations offered in the Commonwealth and shall have the |
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| 137 | 137 | | 107authority to set and raise credit attainment targets, recommend any designations to be awarded to |
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| 138 | 138 | | 108applicants, administer all aspects of state support for the programs, track and report on the |
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| 139 | 139 | | 109performance of participants in the aggregate and identify and pursue further innovative |
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| 140 | 140 | | 110approaches. Academic courses that count for college credit shall be those agreed to by the |
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| 141 | 141 | | 111institutions of higher education participating in any partnership with the high school. |
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| 142 | 142 | | 112 (c) Pursuant to regulations to be promulgated by the board, all high schools shall offer an |
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| 143 | 143 | | 113affordable college in high school program to students before the completion of their 12th grade 7 of 11 |
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| 144 | 144 | | 114year that incorporates one or more of the following: (1) early college; (2) dual enrollment; (3) |
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| 145 | 145 | | 115industry-recognized credentialing in high school; (4) advanced placement courses; (5) |
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| 146 | 146 | | 116international baccalaureate programs; or (6) other approaches for college and career programs. |
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| 147 | 147 | | 117 (d) There shall be a College in High School Joint Committee, hereinafter the CIHS Joint |
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| 148 | 148 | | 118Committee, charged with governing and overseeing the work of the office and making |
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| 149 | 149 | | 119recommendations to the board of elementary and secondary education and the board of higher |
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| 150 | 150 | | 120education. The CIHS Joint Committee shall develop recommendations that include but are not |
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| 151 | 151 | | 121limited to the following: (1) helping drive the commonwealth’s efforts to grow and expand |
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| 152 | 152 | | 122college in high school programs; (2) assisting the office in establishing and monitoring robust |
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| 153 | 153 | | 123performance requirements and targeted enrollments for all participating programs statewide and |
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| 154 | 154 | | 124(3) aiding the office in identifying and certifying new college in high school programs. The |
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| 155 | 155 | | 125CIHS Joint Committee shall consist of the secretary of the executive office of education or a |
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| 156 | 156 | | 126designee; the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education or |
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| 157 | 157 | | 127designee; the commissioner of the department of higher education or designee; two members of |
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| 158 | 158 | | 128the board of elementary and secondary education, who shall be appointed by the chair of the |
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| 159 | 159 | | 129board of elementary and secondary education; and two members of the board of higher |
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| 160 | 160 | | 130education, who shall be appointed by the chair of the board of higher education. |
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| 161 | 161 | | 131 (e) The office shall create and annually review a set of per-credit charges that the public |
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| 162 | 162 | | 132and private institutions of higher education participating in a designated college in high school |
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| 163 | 163 | | 133program require for providing credit-earning courses. The per-credit charge may be subject to |
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| 164 | 164 | | 134factors, including but not limited to: (1) the segment of colleges offering certain courses; (2) the |
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| 165 | 165 | | 135site where the course is taught; (3) whether the course has extra costs associated with enrollment |
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| 166 | 166 | | 136and (4) whether there are minimum numbers of participating students per section offered. 8 of 11 |
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| 167 | 167 | | 137 (f) The office may develop, subject to the approval of the CIHS Joint Committee, |
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| 168 | 168 | | 138recommendations for college in high school programs to continue to enroll participating students |
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| 169 | 169 | | 139to extend and expand their graduation requirements such that they may continue to be considered |
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| 170 | 170 | | 140students of the high school for purposes of chapter 70 calculations for up to two more years in |
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| 171 | 171 | | 141order to complete certificates, degrees or up to two years of transferable credit to a four-year |
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| 172 | 172 | | 142college. |
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| 173 | 173 | | 143 (g) The office shall propose a budget to the commissioner of the department of |
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| 174 | 174 | | 144elementary and secondary education that reflects the goals and objectives of the office. |
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| 175 | 175 | | 145 (h) The college in high school programs shall be open to all enrolled students, on a space |
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| 176 | 176 | | 146available basis, and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, creed, sex, |
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| 177 | 177 | | 147gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, age, ancestry, special |
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| 178 | 178 | | 148needs, proficiency in the English language or academic achievement. A lottery shall be held if |
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| 179 | 179 | | 149more students apply than can be accommodated. |
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| 180 | 180 | | 150 (i) The office shall establish the information and requirements it deems necessary to be |
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| 181 | 181 | | 151included in any application for designation as a college in high school program in order to ensure |
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| 182 | 182 | | 152a high-quality and rigorous college in high school program. The office, after consultation with |
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| 183 | 183 | | 153the department of higher education, shall establish standards for approving and designating |
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| 184 | 184 | | 154college in high school programs. |
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| 185 | 185 | | 155 (j) Where required, each designated college in high school program shall enter into an |
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| 186 | 186 | | 156agreement with at least one postsecondary institution that provides students with opportunities to |
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| 187 | 187 | | 157receive postsecondary credits during the student's participation in the program. Partner high |
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| 188 | 188 | | 158schools and colleges shall work together to ensure that college credits automatically transfer to 9 of 11 |
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| 189 | 189 | | 159Massachusetts public postsecondary institutions upon completion of the program and admittance |
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| 190 | 190 | | 160to one of those public institutions. In addition, partnering high schools and colleges should |
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| 191 | 191 | | 161reduce barriers to college and consider automatic admission to the participating college upon |
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| 192 | 192 | | 162successful completion of the college in high school program. The agreement shall establish how |
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| 193 | 193 | | 163the program will be sustainable on current funding plus any anticipated annual state supplement |
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| 194 | 194 | | 164for designated college in high school programs as well as the designated duties for the high |
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| 195 | 195 | | 165school, in the areas of program coordination, student support, faculty support, career partnership |
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| 196 | 196 | | 166coordination and performance monitoring. |
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| 197 | 197 | | 167 (k) Designation as a college in high school program shall be for an initial period of five |
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| 198 | 198 | | 168years, subject to review after the first three years, and renewable subject to performance. The |
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| 199 | 199 | | 169department of elementary and secondary education shall, subject to appropriation, provide |
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| 200 | 200 | | 170additional funding to designated programs for each participating student. |
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| 201 | 201 | | 171 (l) Annually, by December 31, each college in high school program shall file a report |
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| 202 | 202 | | 172with the commissioner of the department of elementary and secondary education and the |
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| 203 | 203 | | 173commissioner of higher education, on performance measures, including, but not limited to the |
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| 204 | 204 | | 174following categories: |
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| 205 | 205 | | 175 (i) high school graduation rates of participating students; |
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| 206 | 206 | | 176 (ii) percentage of participating students who complete the program; |
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| 207 | 207 | | 177 (iii) percentage of participating students who gain any postsecondary credits; |
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| 208 | 208 | | 178 (iv) credits earned by participating students in college in high school programs, including |
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| 209 | 209 | | 179the percentage of each program incorporating early college to gain at least 12 credits; 10 of 11 |
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| 210 | 210 | | 180 (v) percentage of participating students in a 6-year cohort who attain postsecondary |
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| 211 | 211 | | 181degrees; and |
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| 212 | 212 | | 182 (vi) college and career outcomes of participating students. |
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| 213 | 213 | | 183 The commissioners shall prepare an aggregate report for the senate and house chairs of |
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| 214 | 214 | | 184the joint committee on higher education, and the joint committee on education. |
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| 215 | 215 | | 185 (m) The office shall propose, subject to approval by the CIHS Joint Committee and the |
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| 216 | 216 | | 186boards of elementary and secondary education and higher education, multi-year goals for the |
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| 217 | 217 | | 187commonwealth for the attainment of college degrees and qualifying, industry-recognized |
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| 218 | 218 | | 188certificates for students participating in college in high school programs. Such goals shall include |
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| 219 | 219 | | 189overall goals as well as goals for historically underserved populations including by income, race, |
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| 220 | 220 | | 190ethnicity, sex, English language learner status and students with disabilities. Goals should |
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| 221 | 221 | | 191include statewide-, district-, and school-level goals. The office shall be responsible for ensuring |
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| 222 | 222 | | 192annual, timely public reporting of progress statewide and by district and school towards those |
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| 223 | 223 | | 193goals. |
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| 224 | 224 | | 194 (n) The office shall establish a publicly accessible online dashboard using data from the |
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| 225 | 225 | | 195reports filed pursuant to subsections (g) and (h) of the section to generate information on each |
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| 226 | 226 | | 196college in high school program. The purpose of the dashboard shall be to create user-friendly |
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| 227 | 227 | | 197displays of the overall success of the individual programs in achieving the goals and shall be |
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| 228 | 228 | | 198written in terms understandable to the general public and to help students and their families |
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| 229 | 229 | | 199identify available college in high school opportunities. |
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| 230 | 230 | | 200 SECTION 6. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following |
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| 231 | 231 | | 201section:- 11 of 11 |
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| 232 | 232 | | 202 Section 98. All public high school students shall complete and submit a free application |
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| 233 | 233 | | 203for federal student aid or an application with the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority. |
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| 234 | 234 | | 204The Massachusetts Office of College in High School, established in section 37 of chapter 69, |
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| 235 | 235 | | 205shall promulgate regulations and provide guidelines for implementation of this subsection, |
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| 236 | 236 | | 206subject to the approval of the board of elementary and secondary education. A student is not |
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| 237 | 237 | | 207required to comply with this section if: (1) the student’s parent or legal guardian submits a signed |
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| 238 | 238 | | 208form indicating that the parent or legal guardian authorizes the student to decline to complete and |
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| 239 | 239 | | 209submit the financial aid application; or (2) the student signs and submits a form on the student’s |
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| 240 | 240 | | 210own behalf if the student is 18 years of age or older. |
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| 241 | 241 | | 211 SECTION 7. The commissioner may expend funds from the Twenty-First Century |
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| 242 | 242 | | 212Education Trust Fund established in section 35NNN of chapter 10 for college in high school |
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| 243 | 243 | | 213programs. |
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| 244 | 244 | | 214 SECTION 8. The first annual report required under section 38 of chapter 69, established |
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| 245 | 245 | | 215in section 2 of this act shall be submitted no later than December 31, 2027. |
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